Oriented on making people closer

The three-month project "Guide to Life", organized by the economic society "Dap dessur" with the support of USAID in cooperation with the IOM, has ended in Mary.

More than thirty interested young people aged 18 to 25 became participants of the project.

For three months, experienced mentors, consisting of specialists in the field of history and English, provided students with the opportunity to acquire basic skills in conducting excursions.

At the same time, important attention was paid to knowledge in such areas as history, English and communication, which are necessary for conducting excursions.

― By implementing this project, we aimed to give an additional opportunity to young people from the regions of the country to find themselves in society by acquiring the skills of a guide, - says the project leader Yusup Agajanov in an interview with ORIENT.

― We taught the guys in the basic courses of English and history, not forgetting also about the need for the basics of entrepreneurship. "Guide to Life" is a project that covers not only various aspects of conducting excursions, but also contributes to the development of personal, leadership qualities among young people, a variety of competencies.

Upon completion of the theoretical part of the project, the children were expected to have a practical stage in the format of guided tours-lectures at the historical monuments of the Mary region.

The project participants visited the Mary Museum of Local History, the Great and Small Gyz-Gala, the mausoleum of Muhammad ibn Zeid and the Ashabs, the mosque of Khoja Yusup Hamadani and the mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar.

The final point of the "Guide to Life" project was a trip to the Ancient Merv Archaeological Park, which still holds many mysteries of the Margush country. ORIENT went together with the project participants to immerse themselves in the mythical and mystical atmosphere of this amazing place.

After driving 110 km from Mary along a winding road running through the desert, we reached our destination. There was a monument in front of us. No, not from a thousand years ago, but a marble pedestal indicating that we arrived in Gonur-Depe, the capital of Margush, which was discovered in 1972 by the outstanding archaeologist Viktor Ivanovich Sarianidi.

Who are they - the inhabitants of the country of Margiana, what do the remains of their once great culture found by archaeologists say? These questions were answered by Annamurad Orazov, an employee of the State Historical and Cultural Reserve "Ancient Merv", concurrently an experienced guide who moved the project participants to the era of five thousand years ago, when the ancient kingdom was located here, which today scientists deservedly rank with such ancient civilizations as India, Egypt, Mesopotamia and China.

The specialist familiarized the audience with the ruins of monumental fortresses and temples, the size of which was not inferior to the structures of Assyria and Babylon. He showed a variety of household items, mirrors, cosmetic vessels, silver jewelry, alabaster and ceramic vases dating back to the 3rd millennium BC.

Then we went to the places of ancient burials. In some of them, in addition to household items and jewelry, carts were buried.

During the tour, our guide told a lot of interesting things. For example, that the Margians worshipped fire and water, raising the elements to the level of deities, or that the inhabitants of Gonur-Depe built monumental palaces and temples, learned how to melt metal and create refined works of art. And the favorable climate contributed to the development of agriculture and the cultivation of grain crops in this territory.

Along with agriculture, various crafts developed here, society was improved, a strong state was created, which was ruled by the tsar...

At the end of the tour, we visited the tiny house of Sarianidi, where he rested during the excavations. Now it is a kind of museum with photos and notes of the archaeologist, some of his personal belongings, like a summer hat and glasses.

Annamurad Orazov took part in the expedition led by Viktor Ivanovich in the period from 1996 to 2001. I asked him to describe it in three words of a famous archaeologist. He replied: "The good lion of the desert."..

.. Returning to the project, it is worth noting that its organizers intend to continue covering historical monuments of Turkmenistan. The next goal is to familiarize the participants with the cultural values and sights of the Lebap region.

Artur Petrosyants

Photo: Artur Petrosyants